How to choose a retirement community
Choosing a retirement community can be difficult. The best senior living communities are designed to help older adults get the most out of life, but the best retirement environment for one person may not be the best for everyone. We put together this guide to choosing a retirement community to help you ask yourself or your loved ones the important questions involved in the decision-making process.
Are you ready for a retirement community?
This is a complicated question. It is usually the first one families ask their loved ones and older adults ask themselves. It is also a common area of disagreement. For some seniors, the choice to join a retirement community can feel like a choice to give up freedom. The result, however, is almost always the opposite.
Living outside a senior living community can be an unnecessary burden on older adults, which prevents them from fully enjoying retirement. In a recent interview, one family told us the decision to retire early, while they could take advantage of all Bethany Village has to offer, was a great choice. The real rub with this question, however, is seniors and loved ones often ask it without knowing what senior living can be like. This is an important decision. It should be made by considering all the available information. We recommend taking a tour, even if you feel senior living is not on the horizon. That way, if circumstances change, your plans will already be set.
What kind of lifestyle are you looking for?
When you choose a retirement community, look for a place you would love to live. Retirement is meant to be fun! We recommend you and your loved ones write down everything that is important to consider in a retirement community and then rank those factors 1-5. That will give you a more effective way to evaluate the options you are considering. Once you have determined what services, amenities and lifestyle factors are most important, set up meetings with a few communities and grade them.
Beyond the level of service available in a community, affordability is also a critical factor. Not everyone can afford the most exclusive retirement options, but that is true of life before retirement too. What matters most is finding a community that makes you comfortable. After all, carrying financial worries into retirement would upset even the most idyllic lifestyle.
What kind of care do you need?
Life is full of surprises. The best advice we can give is to hope for the best but plan for the worst. In this context, that means looking for a retirement community that offers a full continuum of care options. When you first retire, you may want not be looking for anything beyond security and help with the landscaping. Should circumstances change, however, you will want to know that exceptional assisted living and rehabilitation services are only a phone call away.
Once you have considered all the factors that go into this important decision, we are confident you will choose Bethany Village as one of the best providers of positive retirement experiences in the Dayton region. Our team is ready and waiting to help you learn more about the lifestyle Bethany Village can offer you or your loved ones. Call us today.
